ROUND 23 of the AFL had it all!
Finals defining matches, controversial calls and massive upsets.
Some teams have kissed their finals hopes goodbye, others have booked their spot for the business end of the season.
As always, we’ve put together a five-leg multi of hindsight and bundled it up into a package we like to call 5 Lessons Learned – AFL
(1) It cost Adelaide a spot in the finals…
If your answer was the goal that wasn’t then you might be wrong.
Let’s not ignore the fact that Adelaide allowed the Swans to kick nine goals to two to lead by 44-points late in the second quarter, or that the Crows kicked 4.8 in the last as they were coming back.
Along with that, while the Crows have been great improvers in season 2023, they failed to win close games despite who the opposition was and anytime they set foot outside Adelaide Oval they turned to a very different team.
Much has been and will still be said about the Ben Keys behind that was actually a goal, it’s a heartbreaking way to lose a game and given the evidence at hand – Adelaide and football fans in general have a right to be angry at the decision.
But did it cost the Crows a spot in the finals?
There’s more to the puzzle than a bad decision in a game, but the evidence suggests that it ain’t that goal umpire or the AFL ARC’s fault the Crows won’t feature in September.
(2) What are you really playing for?
The fact that all a lot of Punters and commentators could talk about was draft picks when West Coast finally broke through for one of the biggest upsets of the year is disappointing and in this writers opinion, kind of gross.
West Coast showed that they do want to play for their coach.
All the talk in Perth footy media was how Adam Simpson was going to finally get the Freo Heave Ho and the Eagles showed some fight. You cannot help but be happy for them, not to mention, it’s clear that the coaches and players couldn’t care less about tanking.
Who cares that the Eagles may not draft Harley Reid now?
North Melbourne now has a wooden spoon threepeat, is that something to be proud of?
Kangaroos fans celebrating this speaks volumes of what the draft system has allowed for and brings questions that a lottery or some reform needs to be brought in to stop this attitude.
In footy, nothing beats a win and if you’re disappointed that your club won a rare upset game in a horrible season you should take a good hard look at yourself.
Meanwhile, 247 Ladbrokes punters enjoyed the Eagles win including one who had $200 on them at $16 pre-game and a big live bet at $22K at $1.36.
(3) Brisbane can win the flag.
Do we have a new flag favourite on our hands?
Brisbane got the job done over Collingwood on Friday night, and while it wasn’t at G it was an impressive performance by Chris Fagan’s men.
As of Monday morning, our premiership market has the Brisbane Lions equal $3.75 favourites with Collingwood.
Will it be 2002 and 2003 all over again come Grand Final day?
If the Lions can secure that top two spot, get themselves two home finals at the Gabba and should they be there on the last Saturday in September would their MCG hoodoo really matter?
Not when there’s a big shiny premiership cup to be won at the end of it.
(4) Relax, you’re playing finals.
Unless there’s all of a sudden an extraordinary scandal involving the salary cap and doping mixed into one – Carlton will feature in the 2023 finals series.
The Blues cannot not make it.
Breathe Carlton fans, nine wins in a row, and life is good.
Perhaps it’s time to shift a gear or two and not find yourself in nailbiters just before the real stuff gets into gear?
St Kilda can buy the West Coast Eagles a slab to thank them for avoiding the mantra of being in the eight all season only to drop out in Round 23 – not going to happen.
GWS is reasonably safe, unless, somehow, the Dogs come out and belt Geelong out of nowhere (by at least 70+ points according to ladder predictor) and they lose to Carlton.
Probably not going to happen.
After all that talk about Round 24 being one where the ladder goes wild, it’s looking like the eight is already set.
(5) Essendon will make it to 20 years without winning a final.
It’s becoming the easiest joke/punchline in footy, but as tweeted by Cricket writer Adam Collins on the weekend – Essendon cannot avoid reaching the 20 years without winning a final milestone.
Even the GWS cheer squad poked fun at the poor old Dons with their banner on the weekend.
If it wasn’t for that goal that wasn’t by Adelaide’s Ben Keays, or the Western Bulldogs blowing it against West Coast (how long will Bevo last by the way), much attention would have been on the Bombers dismal 126-point loss to the orange team on Saturday in Sydney.
Granted, coach Brad Scott didn’t buy into the hype after a couple of big wins over Adelaide and Melbourne but their past month featuring very narrow wins over West Coast and North Melbourne has proven the Dons still have a long way to go.
BONUS 6TH LESSON
Bevo to get the heave-ho?
Many (without context) compared the West Coast Eagles of 2023 to Fitzroy in 1996.
All they had to do was beat the lowly Eagles on Sunday and they didn’t.
Now all the Western Bulldogs need to do is beat Geelong by 80+ points at Geelong and hope the Blues beat the Giants.
You’d think with the star power down at Whitten Oval, including the Brownlow medal favourite Marcus Bontempelli who racked up 32 disposals yesterday and at least tried, they’d be trying to win another flag but it ain’t happening.
Has Bevo lost the players?
Do the players care?
All is not well down in Foot-a-scray and Bevo might want to watch his back.